Industrial Placement Student Review
at Mott MacDonald
Internship (1 Month+)
Mechanical Engineering
Edinburgh
Review Submitted: May 2023
Overall Rating
4.1 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
3/5
-
Overview of Role
4.3/5
-
Skills Development
5/5
-
Support and Guidance
4.3/5
-
Company Culture
3/5
-
Overall Experience
4/5
-
Future Career Prospects
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis.
I am working as a Mechanical engineer on various projects in the water and wastewater industry. This involves drafting risk assessments, writing technical notes, designing pumping stations, asset management, and more. We work in teams where tasks are distributed to individuals. The work ranges from small projects where for example one pump is being replaced/added to large scale projects where a whole wastewater plant is being refurbished or built.
Were you given much responsibility during your placement / internship?
From quite early I was given responsibility for my tasks and time management. I did get enough support with this, but it is good that after a while I was trusted with organising my own time and work.
Please rate how meaningful the work you were doing was
3/5
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills, or developed your existing skills?
I have been able to develop some industry specific skills, such as learning how to refer to industry standards such as health and safety regulations, or becoming more efficient in working with CAD models and P&IDs. I have also been able to develop my existing report writing skills and professional communication in general.
How would you rate the training provided during your experience?
4/5
How would you rate your development of industry-specific skills during the experience?
4/5
How would you rate your development of personal / soft skills during the experience?
5/5
Please rate how these skills have helped you in your career development
4/5
Support and Guidance
How much support and guidance did you receive during your placement / internship?
I felt like I received all the support and guidance I needed. Everyone I met in the company was always more than happy to help. Furthermore my line manager and members of my team have always gone above and beyond to check up on me and help me if I had any issues.
How would you rate the support and guidance from your line manager?
5/5
How would you rate the support and guidance from the wider team?
5/5
Company Culture
What was the company culture and general atmosphere like?
Although Mott MacDonald is a large international company I felt like the community is strong and you get to know people well. Everyone is willing to help no matter their seniority and the culture is very much centred about supporting each other to grow rather than maximising individual performance. I think the people in the company and the supportive and welcoming atmosphere have been the highlight of my time in the company.
How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?
5/5
How would you rate the social opportunities?
5/5
How would you rate the diversity initiatives?
4/5
How would you rate the charity, sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives?
3/5
Overall Experience
To what extent did you enjoy your placement / internship?
I have been happy with my choice of placement and genuinely found it worthwhile. The only downside has been getting used to the varying workload in the engineering consultancy setting. Especially at the start of my placement there was not much work for me and I felt underutilised and not very useful. Talking to other people in my position this seems to be a trend in this job and something to be aware of.
Please rate your level of enjoyment on your placement / internship
4/5
Please rate how your experience met your expectations
2/5
Future Career Prospects
Please rate the future employment prospects at Mott MacDonald
4/5
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Mott MacDonald to a friend?
Yes
What advice would you give to others applying to Mott MacDonald
I would recommend getting in touch with previous placement students asking them about their experience. I think it would be beneficial to help you manage your expectations as well as find out about the skills that are valued in the company. This could then help you better cater your application to the role. Definitely do your research on the company, there is a good amount of projects highlighted on the company website.
